Tips for Beginning Bloggers

September 10, 2009 amymengel.com 1

Tips for Beginning Bloggers

Guest Lecture – Amy MengelENG315 – Blogging and First Person Narrative

College of Saint Rose

September 10, 2009 amymengel.com 2

Blog Management Software

• Self-hosted vs. free software• Factors to consider:

– Design flexibility– Level of comfort with coding– Available plug-ins and features– Ease of use– Storage space, ad capacity

• Questions to Ask• Choosing a Blog Platform

September 10, 2009 amymengel.com 3

Blog Management Software

• www.wordpress.com • www.blogspot.com • www.LiveJournal.com • www.MoveableType.org • www.TypePad.com • www.squarespace.com • www.Tumblr.com • www.Posterous.com

September 10, 2009 amymengel.com 4

Blog Management Software

• Write some sample posts first and don’t publish them. Familiarize yourself with:– Embedding hyperlinks– Embedding photo and/or video– Tagging and categorizing posts– Playing with styles and headings

• Critique blogs that you like from a design and content perspective. What can you incorporate into your blog?

September 10, 2009 amymengel.com 5

Types of blogs

• News and commentary– Most similar to traditional media. Many attempt to

either break the news or offer deeper editorial commentary about current news

– Examples:• TechCrunch• NY Times “The Lede”• TMZ• Dead Spin

September 10, 2009 amymengel.com 6

Types of blogs

• Review and Critique– Product reviews, company

or industry critique– Examples:

• Gizmodo• Consumerist

• Thought Leadership– Developing a position as a

knowledge authority in a particular industry or area of expertise

• Example: Seth Godin (marketing)

September 10, 2009 amymengel.com 7

Types of blogs

• Educational– How-to blogs, detailed

information on a narrow topic – Examples:

• Digital Photography School • Get Rich Slowly

• Documentary-style– Follow a particular person or group through

an experience– Examples:

• John is Fit (weight loss blog)

September 10, 2009 amymengel.com 8

Types of blogs

• Location– Blogging about happenings in a specific geographic

region• Examples:

– Gothamist– AllOverAlbany

• Lifestyle– Blog about a specific

kind of lifestyle (vegan, urban, cowboy, etc)

• Examples:– FatFreeVegan– Married to the National Guard

September 10, 2009 amymengel.com 9

Types of blogs

• Gimmick– Similar, recurring posts

around a theme or gimmick

• Examples:– Julie Powell– Tiny Art Director– Leila Texts– Stuff White People Like

September 10, 2009 amymengel.com 10

Beginner Blogging tips

• Find a niche. How are you different?

• Be regular with post frequency. Develop an editorial calendar.

• Comment on other blogs. Respond to comments on yours.

• Find your voice. (You’re not writing essays!)

• Links are the currency of the Web. Link back to anyone you cite or mention.

September 10, 2009 amymengel.com 11

Types of blog posts

• Don’t stick to just narratives! – Lists– Interviews– Reviews– Rebuttals– Pro/Con– How-to– Video/Audio/Photo– Events

Battling Blogger’s Block: 20 types of posts

September 10, 2009 amymengel.com 12

What to write about?

• What are your passionate about?• What makes you an interesting person?• How are you unique?• Why is your viewpoint different?• Be specific, but not too specific• The focus of your blog can change gradually over

time.

September 10, 2009 amymengel.com 13

Be Interesting

• Take source material (news, other blogs) and write about it from a new direction or perspective that fits your blog’s niche

• Draw in readers with humor, criticism, honesty or drama– Think Reality TV: Why is it so

addicting?

• Don’t make your posts generic – make sure that each post is something only YOU could write

• Add a guest post every now and then to provide a different view/voice

September 10, 2009 amymengel.com 14

Be Personal

• Show your personality in your writing– Be conversational– Share personal stories that connect with readers– Respond to reader comments

• Decide how much is appropriate to share– Make sure what you share is within the context of your

blog– Be cognizant of other people’s privacy (friends, family

members)

September 10, 2009 amymengel.com 15

Your blog will be…

• Your online professional profile– Content is indexed by Google For-EVAH!– Future employers will read it and assess your writing

skills, thought development– It can complement (or contradict) your resume

• A creative outlet• A time suck• A source of frustration• A way to make new connections and friends• A rewarding experience!

September 10, 2009 amymengel.com 16

Credits

• Slide 2 image by http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerrycooke/3171393927/sizes/o/• Slide 7 image by http://digital-photography-school.com/canon-eos-7d • Slide 9 image by Henry Ray Abrams, Associated Press

http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/051018/051018_julia_vmed_12p.widec.jpg

• Slide 10 image by http://www.flickr.com/photos/mommamia/2217623384/• Slide 11 image by http://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinbell/35089898/

About Amy Mengel

I’m a communications professional and consultant based in Albany, N.Y. I’ve worked in corporate communications roles for companies like Lockheed Martin and General Electric. I now work with clients on a variety of PR, marketing and communications projects, including how to incorporate social media practices into existing marketing strategies. I’m the founder of Social Media Breakfast Tech Valley, the region’s first community-focused social media event. I blog about PR, marketing and social media at www.amymengel.com when I’m not cycling, hiking, traveling, skiing or watching college football.

On Twitter: @amymengel